The Wolf And The Swallow
by Sephraem
Summary: Vilkas, supposedly having brains of Ysgramor, certainly knows how to put his foot in it. Not realizing who he's tormenting with an all night training session, he finally learns just exactly who Celandine is when she loses her temper. Can he mend things with the newest member of the Companions before someone can steal her away?


The sun rose slowly over Whiterun, the early morning rays casting a soft light over the snow covered sleeping city...well, almost sleeping city.

"Again."

The silence gets broken by the loud clang of steel on steel, with grunts, groans and the periodic snarl of anger, with an occasional swear, from the training area behind Jorrvaskr.

"Again."

A low growl escapes the slighter of the two sparring partners as they adjust their grip on the borrowed greatsword. "No."

"I said _again_."

"And I said _no_. You have had me out here since sunset last night. I am not you, your brother, Aela or Skjor. I need sleep!"

"You'll sleep when I tell you you can sleep, whelp. Until that point, you train."

"You just want to kill me by exhaustion, you twisted son of a bitch. Can't accept that I beat you in the spar, can't accept that the others want me here, so you'll do anything you can to force me out." Silver eyes flash angrily as the person tosses the weapon to the side, then stares at the man across from them. "And you know what I say to your obstinance? _**Zun Haal Viik!**_"

Vilkas's own chrome orbs blink in astonishment as the Skyforge steel greatsword is ripped from his grasp, sailing through the air and landing somewhere behind his opponent. "You're... the Dragonborn?"

"No. I'm the fuckin' _whelp_ that will never be considered good enough for you to allow rising up through your illustrious ranks. I'm the fuckin' _whelp_ that, no matter how many times I do everything right, you'll nitpick over the smallest thing. I'm the fuckin' _whelp_ you'll never praise, but you think the sun rises and sets out of Ria's ass- and she fucks up more than the rest of the non-Inner Circle members combined. So please, just because I can perform acts just as Tongues of legend did, don't change how you treat me- it will be nothing but a lie, and I can't stand liars." A blonde head shakes in disbelief, then the person continues "For someone, who, according to Skjor, has the smarts of Ysgramor, you're an idiot, Vilkas. I'm starting to wonder if the Companions praise the wrong twin, because at least I know I can trust Farkas with my back, my front, _my life_… I honestly cannot say the same for you." Without another word, the leather clad warrior moves over towards one of the training dummies far enough away from the Circle member, and uses its frame to boost them easily up and over the stone wall surrounding the hall without another glance at the still stunned trainer.

Five minutes later, the Companion hears a door open and shut behind him, followed by "Brother? Where is Celandine? She had come to me yesterday looking for work and I had told her I'd give her one this morning, but all of the new blood said she never went to bed last night. Where did she go when your training was done?" He can hear Farkas's nose sniff the air slightly and Vilkas knew he was in trouble. "Brother... did you have her out here all night? Is that why the others never saw her?"

The slighter man didn't respond; then again, he never had to when it came to his brother.

"Why?" It was a rhetorical question and they both knew it. "You get to explain to the Harbinger why our sister just pulled a runner while I go pack our things to go find her."

"No. While I will go speak to Kodlak, we will not go look for her. If the whelp wishes to throw a tantrum and be petulant, then perhaps I was right in not having her dishonor what we stand for by joining our ranks."

His brother growls at him, a dangerous glint appearing in his steel eyes. "Perhaps it's not Cela who is behaving like a petulant whelp, Vilkas. Perhaps it's not she who is dishonoring what we stand for. Maybe it's you who forgot _everything_ we learned as whelps, the struggles we went through to prove _ourselves_ worthy to the previous Companions. If I remember correctly, more than once you went to bed whimpering like a dog because the trainers were doing the same thing to you that you do to her. You know what I think, brother?" It takes all that Vilkas has not to take a step back from his nearly feral sibling. "I think after you found out the truth of the situation and our not being able to go on to Sovngarde, you decided you would do everything in your power to make sure those who were worthy of joining us to have the hardest of times. It would certainly explain why the only ones who stay are the ones who really won't amount to anything, doesn't it?"

"That's not true."

"Torvar."

"He's in his cups all the time, it's no wonder he doesn't move forward. And an egotistical whelp too."

"No better than you at some times. Ria."

"Eager to please."

"Eager to please _you_, brother, and not just in training. You know damn well why she jumps at the chance to go on jobs with you, and if you don't, that means not only your sense of smell is shot, but your ability to see and hear is going on you as well. All she wants is to be able to crawl into your bed every night."

"There's nothing wrong with that Farkas." Even before the sentence was finished, the Two-Handed Trainer could feel his stomach sour at the lie. To make matters worse, his wolf practically bristled at the thought of bedding the Imperial. **No, you will not use someone so unworthy to satisfy your needs. If you truly wish to be rid of me, only the swallow will be able to make it so.**

"If that's what you really wanted, you would have furred her already and put an end to her nonsense. Obviously some part of you wants more in a mate than just sex, but please, go ahead. Fuck her and see what happens afterwards, you'll be _very_ disappointed in the results."

Before he could even retort, Vilkas watches as his brother stalks back in the direction he came, most likely to speak with the Harbinger about what transpired between the twins. In hindsight, everything Farkas said was true- since learning that the curse would keep him from Sovngarde, the historian... _might_ have been much stricter with those that showed promise, especially those who were fellow Nords, like Celandine. _How was I supposed to know she was the Dragonborn?_

**Because while you look, you do not listen. Do you think Lydia stops by every few days just to flirt with Farkas? Lydia's the Thane of Whiterun's Housecarl. You're supposed to be the smart one, what does that mean?**

The Nord's brain whirled with confusion, trying to remember when he had heard the Jarl had named someone as Thane of the Hold. _It was something involving...the Western Watchtower and... Shor's Bones. Don't tell me she's-_

**Balgruuf's Thane? Oh yes. You just happened to piss off possibly the best connected person in Whiterun, and she has the _most interesting_ of friends. When you step in it, my human, you certainly do it with style. Now if you want to fix this-**

_I do._

**Then the first thing you're going to do is go face Kodlak and apologize for your lack of judgment when it comes to the whelps. You might see me as a curse, but not all think like you- take Aela and Skjor for instance. You are not a god, Vilkas, nor are you a Daedra. Playing games with peoples' futures are not for you to do. Then, when you learn of where she is, you'll go alone. Who knows, maybe you'll learn just _exactly_ who Celandine is.**

As the Companion's wolf goes back to ignoring his human, Vilkas lets out a sigh of exasperation. There are times when he just wishes that his beast side was a bit more forthcoming with what he knew- this was definitely one of them. The Nord strides back towards Jorrvaskr and Kodlak's room, paying no heed to the greetings Njada and Ria give him as they come out to the training area. He had a family member to find.

* * *

A/N New territory for me, so I apologize from the beginning if Vilkas and the rest of the Companions seem a bit...lacking. I tend to do a rush through the Companion quest line, tending to be a bit bored with it and wanting to get to having my fun plundering through Skyrim and kicking the Empire and their Elven Overlords out- as seen with the plethora of Thieves Guild and Civil War related writings on here. But I was asked in a review for Challenge Accepted to do a one shot with Vilkas and...here we are! It also got away from me a bit, so this might end up being a couple chapters- nothing like First Time or Dragonborn and the Sneak.

I have a rather love hate relationship with Vilkas, mainly because I find him to be an ass at the beginning of the game. It's not until Kodlak dies that I actually like him, maybe because his anger regarding the situation- it actually humanized him to where I could relate... Maybe I just don't give him a chance early on, or maybe the comment "I've never even heard of this outsider" when you've fought in the Civil War, are Thane of Whiterun and shouting through the plains of Whiterun just annoys the hell out of me (game scripting at its finest). Who knows.

Oh well. Thank you for reading my first attempt at Vilkas and feel free to review!


End file.
